Sunday Ride Recap provided by PJ.
Well Sunday was "supposed" to be warmer than Saturday. As a result, John scheduled an afternoon ride from Judson High School. As we all now know, the temp on Sunday afternoon barely hit 36 degrees at its high! Yikes!! Around noon, I thought for sure the ride would be cancelled, but, John believed the forecast and was sure the sun would appear soon to warm up the temperature... Therefore, I reluctantly packed up my gear and began the long drive to Judson. Due to a comedy of errors, Andrea and I ended up meeting at Bullis County Park instead of Judson due to both of us conveniently forgetting critical cycling accessories (i.e., a front wheel and a gear bag). Guess I can't blame it on the blonde since I forgot something too!!
Andrea told me that only John and Scott showed up at Judson. As we were unloading our bikes, John called to let us know that he and Scott had turned around after 2 miles and called it a day...it was just too cold for their South Texas blood! For a moment, I thought for sure Andrea would call our ride as well (thinking to myself that the Spectrum at Rogers Ranch sounded much better). Nope!!
The pressure was on...would Andrea and I make it more than 2 miles??? Secretly, about 1.5 miles into our ride, we did turn around and go back to our cars for another layer of clothes (it meant wearing two pair of gloves). Once we figured out our gear, we went back out to do the typical 20 mile route. I am amazed to report that we actually finished 23 miles and didn't suffer severe frostbite. I will admit, however, it took a 15 minute HOT shower, several layers of clothes and eating some really spicy hot soup for me to warm up that evening. Not sure I ever want to ride when it is that cold again, at least not until I find some better gloves and/or mittens. Hats off to those that were wise enough to stay home or exercise inside! PJ
Weekend Ride Schedule:
SATURDAY - FEBRUARY 6th Carl "Teddy Bear" Crawford, will lead a ride (START TIME 9AM)
Get ready to eat plenty of chips and dip on Super Sunday by riding this Saturday. The ride will start in Helotes in front of John T. Floores Country Store. From here we have plenty of options from as little as 23 miles to as many as 56 miles. Wheels down at 9AM sharp. I am planning on doing the 40 mile loop and enjoying some of the great farmland southwest of Helotes. No pastry shops on this route. Come out Sunday morning and I gurantee we will find a Starbucks. Maps will be provided at the ride start. Please contact me at carl.crawford@valero.com or crawfordc74@yahoo.com to let me know if you will be riding on Saturday.
Helotes 23 Mile Out and Back Helotes 40 Mile Loop Helotes-Castroville-Rio Medina 56 Mile Loop
SUPER BOWL SUNDAY Carl "Teddy Bear" Crawford, will be leading a ride. (START TIME 9AM) Please plan on joining me for another installment of the Sunday Funday Casual ride series starting at the Valero Headquarters building next to the UTSA Campus. If you are an employee of Valero, you will need you badge to enter the Valero campus. If you are not a Valero employee, please buzz the security office and they will open the gates. The ride will go out UTSA Blvd. to Vance Jackson and out to Loop 1604 and ending at the park on NW Militaty Rd (option for TDC kickoff ride). After getting to the park, riders can either head back to the Valero Campus or add additional miles. Maybe I can find a Starbucks!!! Maps will be provided at the ride start. Please contact me at carl.crawford@valero.com or crawfordc74@yahoo.com to let me know if you will be riding on Sunday.
DO LOOSE DOGS REALLY CAUSE A PROBLEM?
"YES" they do.... Having difficulty with a dog that chases you during a ride through a neighborhood? Pet owners are responsible for keeping their pets on their property secured from public interaction or interference with other property owners. And it's up to us to take action and make the rode a little safer for the next cyclist. Who most likely will encounter the same four legged creature searching for its next victim....
If you see a dog running loose you have two options.
Option #1: Call Animal Control at (210) 207-6650, and advise them where, when, and what to get the animal picked up. If you know who owns the animal, it will assist Animal Control with the pickup.
Option #2: Call Bexar County Sheriff's Department at (210) 355-6000 (non-emergency number) and file a complaint. Loose dog owners can be cited for endangering others due to threatening mannerisms, etc.
BLANCO ROAD UPDATE:
I thought some of you who do the Wednesday night rides from Bullis Park or who live in this area, would be interested in how the Blanco expansion project is going. I was hoping it would be completed before we started our week day training rides in mid March. However, the best we can do is keep our fingers crossed in anticipation for completion sometime this summer.
Provided by David R. Wegmann, Project Engineer. As you may already know, there was a delay to the Blanco Road project around Christmas time. The project was thought to be potentially delayed by 2 to 4 months due to the discovery of karst features (caves, limestone formations, sinkholes and other formations which can contain endangered or extinct species). The following information was provided as an update to the current review of the delay potential:
Specific to the karst feature uncovered on Blanco Road last month, the investigations are still ongoing. The last biological survey was conducted the first part of January. Once the survey is complete, we’ll find out whether or not there were any endangered karst invertebrate species present. Based upon the first two surveys we are not expecting any positive findings. That being the case, we should be able to move forward with a closure plan. That process should be complete by mid-February, barring the presence of any cave creatures. Currently the contractor is required to keep construction activities 350’ away from the underground feature, but he is moving forward with new pavement north of there.
By the end of February, the contractor should have all final pavement and pavement markings on the northern 2.8 miles of the 3.8 mile project; essentially, north of Enclave Bluff. Currently the residents will see the contractor removing most of the concrete barrier that divided the roadway where the new medians have been placed. The contractor is finalizing those remaining northern medians right now in preparation for opening the northern part of the project.
Together we are making an IMPACT for those living with MS.
I wanted to apprise you of some late-breaking MS news. Below is a link to “New Ways to Treat Multiple Sclerosis,” featured in the Wall Street Journal on Jan. 19. The article discusses new techniques on research on the creation and development of myelin, as well as repair and rebuilding of myelin and stem cell transplants. Click here for the complete story.
The next story was featured on NPR on Jan. 20. The article entitled “MS Patients May Soon Bypass Painful Injections” discusses last week's issue of The New England Journal of Medicine reporting on two new drugs that can be taken orally to slow the progress of MS. The studies for these drugs, fingolimod and cladribine, which are not yet on the market, were funded by the drug manufacturers. Dr. John Richert, executive vice president of research and clinical programs at the National MS Society, is quoted in the article stating that the introduction of these pills will mark a major improvement in the lives of MS patients. Click here for the complete story:
Last but not least is the FDA approval of Fampridine SR, now called Ampyra, to improve walking for people with all types of MS. Ampyra™ (dalfampridine, formerly known as fampridine SR, from Acorda Therapeutics) was approved and will be marketed for its ability to improve walking speed in people with any type of multiple sclerosis. This is the first therapy specifically approved to treat a symptom of MS, and it represents a big step forward for the many people who may benefit from it.
As you can see we are making giant strides in the research of and treatment for multiple sclerosis. We should all be proud of the advancements being made with our commitment, hard work and fundraising dollars. Let's keep the momentum going and have the best year ever for 2010.
Fun Facts for your Health: The average person loses 13 lbs, their first year of commuting by bike. Just three hours of bicycling per week can reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke by 50%. A 140-pound cyclist burns 508 calories while pedaling 14 mph. I wonder if this was calculated on a flat or hilly ride.....
Have a great weekend and ride, ride, ride.
Andrea